OnMedia: To 3D or not to 3D with Harry Potter?

Let me confess that I'm not a fan of 3D after seeing a few examples. The most notable was "Avatar," where the 3D bugs just seemed to be a distraction. And while I've seen a handful of the Harry Potter movies, I'm not part of the cult.

So I wasn't rushing to see this eighth and last film in the series, "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2." But I was intrigued by talk of the 3D version. Is it worth a couple extra bucks to see it not just on the big, wide screen, but in the 3D?

I took advantage of the steamy weather this week to take in the lunchtime show at the iPic in Bayshore Town Centre and check it out and I have to say I was impressed.

If 3D can be subtle, it was subtle here, simply adding a roundness to the film that helped bring it to life. I'm not sure it's worth the added expense if you're taking kids to the movie. But I found it worth the extra charge.

Still, I have to say that the glasses remain annoying. I wear glasses, so the 3D spec have to be propped over them. It's not comfortable and not the best way to see the movie. If there's one more technological advancement we need is to find a way to show these movies without the ocular hardware.

Harry Potter's swan song is likely to be the big movie again this weekend. And it's still supposed to be hot.

So a couple hours in an air-conditioned theater, with the addition of 3D, wouldn't be a bad way to get cool.

A biker film premiere: "Born to Ride," a film produced by Milwaukee's Mike Anthony Jones, gets a premiere Saturday at 11 at Marcus Theaters Ridge Cinema in New Berlin. The film follows to motorcycle riders who encounter colorful characters on a trip to Sturgis. The screening is free.

On TV: The southeast Wisconsin version of the Patch.com collection of hyper-local news sites has been teaming up with Channel 6 to provide coverage. The two are currently trying to organize a get-together between State Sen. Alberta Darling and her Democratic recall opponent, Sandy Pasch.

Two days after she officially joins ABC on Aug. 1, Katie Couric will co-host "The View."

Wednesday's season premiere of "Storage Wars" is the biggest show ever to air on A&E, pulling in more than 5 million viewers, according to numbers from Nielsen Media Research.

TLC plans a show following five Muslim-American families living in Dearborn, Mich. "All-American Muslim" will launch in November.

TVGuide.com reports that Robert Wagner is out as "Charlie" on ABC's reboot of "Charlie's Angels."

Calling Sarah Palin fans: Before we finish for the day, there's one more bit of movie news.

"The Undefeated," a film about Sarah Palin opens Friday at the AMC Mayfair Mall theater. I haven't seen it in advance, but this trailer for the film (along with the title) gives you the general drift of the documentary:

Talkbacks

Saw "Captain America" yesterday in 3D only because I went to a private screening and that's how they showed it. It added absolutely nothing to the movie (which was decent).
3D numbers are down, so I think Hollywood is realizing that it's unnecessary. A number of directors are against it, including Coppola, and Ebert regularly rails against it.
With people texting and talking at the theater, there are enough distractions.

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